Andrei Lintz's Diary: Week 1

ANDREI LINTZ

06/01/2012

PULLMAN -- What's up Cougar fans! This is Andrei Lintz and I will be writing the offensive player diary for Cougfan.com this summer. I will be keeping you guys updated on our workouts and drills, commenting on players who are standing out and answering questions you might have. We are just finishing up our second week of workouts and things are going great.

The entire team is starting to put in solid work this summer in preparation for our 2012 season.

This year has been different from years past in that we arrived in Pullman two weeks earlier than usual to start our summer training program. This has allowed us to get a head start on the summer and while these workouts are optional, virtually the entire team is here and participating.

Our schedule consists of two workouts four times a week and then on our own, we're also doing a player-organized skills and 7on7 session three evenings per week.

Our workouts focus on speed and agility on the field and then we also get in our work in the weight room. Strength and conditioning coach Jason Loscalzo was brought in by Coach Mike Leach over the winter and has us on an excellent training regimen.

He has already made good use of the sandpit, the "Leach Beach", where the entire team goes through numerous drills aimed at enhancing our leg joints and muscles on the uneven surface. The sand makes it very hard to gain traction and maintain stability -- but the results are almost instantaneous as we repeat the exact same drills on the turf with much greater ease.

Another significant improvement this summer over past summers is the fact that we instantly jumped back into 7on7 drills on the first Monday we all got back. Over the past couple of years the offense and defense have primarily focused on individual drills during evening sessions and waited until late June or early July to start 7on7. Starting 7on7 this early during these player-led practice sessions allows skill players to get a jump on competitive situations and gain valuable live repetitions.

Top performers so far in 7on7 include Gino Simone, Daniel Simmons and Jeff Tuel. Tuel has made more of an effort to be a leader while Simone continues to impress with superb route running and catching everything in sight. Simmons has turned heads and gained respect by shutting down opponents both in 1on1's and 7on7.

That's all the time I have for my first entry, I hope you guys stay tuned. Feel free to ask questions on the CF.C message boards about anything you want answered about Cougar Football and I'll do my best to answer as many of them as I can.

Other than that, keep showing us why you are the best fans in college football and Wave the Flag! Go Cougs!

Cougar inside receiver Andrei Lintz out of Bellingham had a monster spring session at Washington State, moving from tight end to the slot in Mike Leach's Air Raid. The senior-to-be pulled in seven catches for 57-yards and a TD in the Crimson & Gray game. Lintz appeared in all 12 games in 2011, with five starts as a junior tight end, with seven catches for 96 yards and one touchdown. Following his senior year at Meridian High, he was named Associated Press All-State as both a punter and defensive end. His grandfather Yuri played professional soccer in Russia.